MONTEVALLO, Alabama - Alabama State Superintendent of
Education Tommy Bice envisions a new standard for fourth-grade math testing
that doesn't simply involve adding a set of numbers.

Instead, students will form into small groups and get a "real-world
scenario" that requires them to determine the proper arithmetic, understand how
to use it and explain the reasoning and process to their peers, Bice said.

"The arithmetic stayed the same, but what was expected
changed," Bice told about 100 staff members from Shelby County schools and the
University of Montevallo on Monday afternoon about the state's 2020 Plan for preparing
students for college and the workforce.

The goal represents a significant shift for educators
dealing with required standardized testing, but it's one that faculty and staff
from the Shelby County School District and the university are continuing to
discuss under their Vertical Teaming Initiative partnership.

The strategy focuses on ensuring student success in college
and beyond using their K-12 education, which Bice envisions will involve the state's
2020 Plan that has as its goal "every child a graduate and every graduate
prepared" for college and the workforce.

"Our mission is to develop a successful graduate," Shelby
County School District Superintendent Randy Fuller said at the meeting. "You
have to develop a successful student before you develop a successful graduate."

Aside from the traditionally taught topics such as math
and English, students need to learn "essential skills" such as time management
and critical thinking, Fuller said.

"We start tomorrow with our first step," he said about getting
Shelby County school leaders to meet and discuss strategies for student success
monthly. "This is opening the door to develop that successful graduate we're
talking about."

Shelby County School District is heading in the goal's
direction with its "My Future Program" that creates an "individual success plan
for every student for graduation," Fuller said. The school district is also offering
financial literacy classes this year, he added about other essential skills.

"We want them to be successful and we will have a plan
for that," Fuller said.

Monday's discussions involved a new component for the
group's consideration: direct input from students who described their own
challenges with transitioning from high school to college.

Ryan Kirkland, a 19-year-old University of Montevallo student
from Chilton County, described a lack of knowledge about science in the three
times he took the ACT college entrance test.

"I was pretty much taking stabs in the dark hoping to get
something right," Kirkland said. In college, the teen hasn't encountered the
same science topics "just in my basic classes."

Kirkland's comments connected to survey results of the
university's incoming freshmen from Shelby County schools that showed 16
percent felt they were "very well prepared" for science courses. The figure
compared to 56 percent in English and 52 percent in history and social science.

Kirkland and other students noted difficulty with time management,
which 13 of 45 survey respondents indicated as their greatest challenge in
college. "I was blown away that 43 percent of people said they were good at
managing time," Kirkland said.

"Time management, I stink at that too," said 18-year-old
Birmingham student Maggie Horschel, who has two jobs and is taking 12 class
hours at the university.

Allison McSwain, a 19-year-old student from Hoover,
emphasized the importance of a planner and class agendas in her academic life. "I
would stress to teachers to stress how important that is to time management in
college," she said.

Fuller noted that K-12 schools manage time for kids,
while college allows freedom for students to decide their own schedules. "The
kids get conditioned by that. ... We've got to bridge that gap," he said.

Although the survey showed some college students miss "busy
work" in high school and easier workloads, McSwain disagreed. "I prefer not to
have busy work in college," she said, indicating she would rather have time to
do other more important tasks.

Horschel said busy work has a role for her in subjects that
she doesn't understand. "I excel more in English and math," she said. "When it
comes to social science and history, I would like more busy work."

One of the areas where the students complimented their
high school education involved teachers who provided support and took the time
to work with them.

Dr. Cindy Tidwell, a chemistry professor at the
university, wants students to utilize their college instructors outside of classrooms.
"Students who succeed and do really well use office hours," she said about the
time professors are available to answer questions.

Instructors will spend time to help students understand
the subjects in their classes, she said.

"I think the big disconnect is they don't take advantage
of the opportunities they are afforded to get to know the faculty," Tidwell
said. "The most valuable thing they can do here is to get to know the faculty"
to improve their education.